Catching Up, or ….You CAN go home

For the last eight weeks I've been either planning for, ON, or recovering from

our three week cross country drive back 'home' to Michigan.

While there we enjoyed

lighthouses,

an abundant harvest of delicious cherries,

corn as high,

 lighthouses,

my happy place, still cared for and loved...

more servings of planked whitefish than I thought I could ever consume,

 did I mention lighthouses?

sunsets over magnificent lakes,

one more beautiful than the next,

and the sacred ground of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Seashore.

we experienced

moments of solitude

white sandy beaches,

clear water…

dense woods

and favorite haunts that continue to impress

and historic establishments that still nourish after all these years….

we drove over….

and cruised under 

the magnificent Mackinaw Bridge 

that connects the Upper and Lower peninsulas of Michigan.

We ferried to Mackinaw Island,

for a perfect 'chamber of commerce day'

sunny and warm,

without the hum of engines and only the squeaks of bicycles and clicks and clops of horses hooves...

and the flap of a flag or more….

we witnessed the full moon rise,

and Tahquamenon Falls….

we drove to the top of Michigan…

to Whitefish Point

home of the Shipwreck Museum

and down again

to the center of Michigan to see the sun set after a powerful storm..….

and rise again over this inland lake…still as glass

back in the Detroit area, 

we visited  

the beautiful grounds of Cranbrook Academy, 

and this

inspiring Nick Cave exhibit at the Art Museum there

then headed back to New Mexico through Nebraska 

where we stopped for respite here,

and here,

before we headed south though the center of Colorado to the quaint river town of 

Salida, Colorado

 my new favorite place,

then through the Valley of Peace to Crestone, Colorado

on our way to experience more sand dunes...

of the Great Sand Dunes National Park in southern Colorado….

and another magnificent God lit sunset as we headed home to New Mexico.

This trip was filled with connecting with friends and family I've been longing to embrace and spend time with, 

and 

delicious home cooked meals

not to mention warm lake breezes and sand between my toes….

….and I am so happy to report that visiting the favorite places of my youth left me feeling that they are more beautiful, better cared for and respected than I remember. 

With relationships loving and intact,

we say a 

HUGE

Thank You 

with deep appreciation for our friends and family who welcomed and cared for us so graciously.